India captain Harmanpreet Kaur created an unwanted record during the first semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 against Bangladesh at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Thursday. Known for her destructive middle-order batting, the 37-year-old Kaur looked uncharacteristically bogged down against Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling in the knockout fixture.
As per Cricbuzz, Harmanpreet’s three runs off her first 15 balls against Bangladesh in Dubai in 2026 is the joint-fifth-lowest score by an India Women batter at that stage of a T20I innings. The record for the fewest runs scored off the first 15 balls belongs to Harmanpreet herself. She had managed just one run from her first 15 deliveries against Pakistan in Delhi in 2016. Mithali Raj occupies the second spot on the list, having scored two runs off her first 15 balls against Pakistan in Delhi during the same year. Punam Raut and Mansi Joshi are next, with both players scoring three runs off their first 15 deliveries. Raut achieved the mark against Australia in Gros Islet in 2010, while Joshi did so against South Africa in Surat in 2019.
The India captain found it difficult to get going with the bat, scoring just three runs from her first 15 deliveries. Her slow start placed her among the lowest-scoring Indian batters after facing the first 15 balls in a T20I innings. Least runs scored off the first 15 balls of a T20I innings (India Women) Harmanpreet’s knock came in a crucial knockout encounter, where India were looking to secure a place in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2026. Opener Shafali Verma slammed a fiery 64 off 40 balls as India recovered from early stumbles to post a competitive 149/6 in their 20 overs against Bangladesh in the first semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on Thursday.
Her inability to find the boundaries early on added pressure to the Indian innings as Bangladesh looked to keep the scoring under control.
